THH LUBBER GRASSHOPPER. 



135 



accomplish this, the abdomen and legs are folded back over the body, 

 and it is remarkable that the perfect insect retains through life the power 

 of thus rolling itself up into a ball. In the imago stage the two sexes 

 are very dissimilar. The female has clouded wings, the body shows 

 metallic reflections of purple, green, and cop per- bronze, and the abdo- 

 men is black, with the first joint white. The male is smaller than the 

 lernale, has clear wings, and is uniformly bright metallic green in color. 

 It has not the power of rolling itself like the female. 



THE LUBBER GRASSHOPPER. 



(Romalea microptera Serv.) 

 (Fig. 54.) 



FIG. 54. The Lubber Grasshopper. (Alter Glover.) 



This huge locust has nomadic habits, and wanders about in search of 

 food, attacking almost all succulent plants. It sometimes does damage 

 to orange trees by feeding upon the leaders and tender shoots, and is 

 at times sufficiently abundant to become a serious pest. The eggs are 

 laid in the ground and hatch in March or April. The young are black, 

 with bright yellow markings. For several weeks after leaving the 

 ground they are gregarious, each brood in its wanderings keeping to- 

 gether and gathering at night in a cluster upon some low herbaceous 

 plant. This habit, with their conspicuous coloration, renders it an easy 

 matter to find and destroy them at first. Later in the summer they 

 separate and become scattered, and the separate individuals must then 

 be sought for and destroyed. 



During its growth the jnsect several times changes its skin. After 

 the final molt, which takes place in July or August, its appearance is 

 entirely changed. The colors of the young are reversed in the adult; 

 yellow becomes the predominant color, and the body is marked with 

 spots and lines of black. The wings are tinged with pink; they are 

 too short and rudimentary for flight. The adult insect is nearly 3 



